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congrats to lcw for winning 2012 National Sports Awards yesterday night..
4th time for this guyChong Wei and Pandelela retain national sports awards

Reports by LIM TEIK HUAT

National shuttler Lee Chong Wei and diving queen Pandelela Rinong posing with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah after they were named 2012 Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year at the National Sports Award ceremony Tuesday night. The duo also won the award last year.PETALING JAYA: Shuttler Lee Chong Wei and diver Pandelela Rinong have set their sights on becoming world champions after coming up tops again in the 2012 National Sports Awards ceremony last night.Chong Wei bagged his fourth National Sportsman Award and RM20,000 thanks largely to his feat of reaching the men’s singles final at the London Olympic last year.Chong Wei may have lost narrowly to Lin Dan but still returned home with a silver, ensuring that he is the country’s only double Olympic medallist.Chong Wei, who also won the national sports award in 2005 and 2008, captured five international titles last year.And now, after getting a fourth national crown, the shuttler hopes it will spur him to become the first Malaysian to win at the world meet in Guangzhou come August.“This will be my last chance to win the world title. No Malaysian has managed it and I will give it my best shot,” said Chong Wei, who became a father for the first time last week.In the women’s category, squash queen Nicol David – who captured a record seventh world title last year – failed to dethrone Pandelela from reigning supreme again.Proud moment: Hasihin Sanawi (left) receiving the award for best male paralympian by the president of the Olympic Council of Malaysia Tan Sri Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja’afar during the National Sports Award ceremony yesterday. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS / The StarLike Chong Wei, the dimunitive Sarawakian captured the nation’s heart at the London Olympics in the early hours of Aug 10 with her historic plunge in the women’s 10m platform final.She made an impressive comeback with her last two dives to secure the bronze medal – making her the country’s first female Olympic medallist – and the youngest.Pandelela, who turned 20 last month, also finished overall runner-up in the prestigious FINA Diving World Series last year behind world and Olympic champion Chen Ruolin of China.Pandelela was delighted to have won a second straight National Sportswoman Award and a cheque for RM20,000.She said she had “a gut feeling” that she would win again after being asked by the Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum) to delay flying to Edinburgh for the third leg of the FINA Diving World Series by a day.“My team-mates left the previous night but I was asked to stay back. But at least I don’t have to travel a few thousand kilometres like last year,” she said in jest, referring to last year when she had to fly back immediately from Russia after the FINA Diving World Series to receive the award – and then heading out to Mexico the next day.“It’s a timely boost ahead of Edinburgh, for sure,” added Pandelela, who is hoping to become the first Malaysian to win an individual medal at the world meet in Barcelona in July.“I see this as a lucky sign. When I got the award last year, I won an Olympic bronze medal ... so, hopefully, it’ll be another good year for me at the world meet.”Pandelela already has a bronze medal from her partnership with Leong Mun Yee in 10m platform synchro at the 2009 world meet in Rome.The men’s junior hockey team took the best male team award and RM20,000 for winning their maiden Junior Asia Cup in Malacca in May after beating three-time champions Pakistan 2-1 in the final.There was some consolation for Nicol though when she, Delia Arnold, Low Wee Wern and Siti Munirah Jusoh clinched the best female team award and RM20,000 for winning the bronze medal at the Women’s World Team Championships in Nimes, France, last November.Meanwhile, archer Hasihin Sanawi took home the male paralympian award and a cheque for RM10,000 for his silver medal feat in individual recurve at the London Paralympic Games.http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.a...655&sec=sports

LEE Chong Wei may be ill-prepared for the Australia Open, which begins on Tuesday, but national singles coach Rashid Sidek is confident the World No 1 will return with the title from Sydney.

Chong Wei, who fell sick upon returning from the All England and has only been undergoing light training the last few days, rarely competes in grand prix events but Rashid believes the former will safeguard his reputation next week.

Vietnam's Nguyen Tien Minh is the only top 10 player, other than Chong Wei, competing in Sydney and the Malaysian should secure his third title of the year without any problems.

Chong Wei will play Arvind Bhat of India in the first round, and then could play the likes of Adi Andrianus of Indonesia, Suppanyu Avihingsanon of Thailand, Hsu Jen Hao of Taiwan and compatriot Chong Wei Feng en route to the final.

Tien Minh is expected to square off with Gao Huan of China in the semi-finals and even if the latter wins, he is not expected to pose any trouble to Chong Wei in the final.

"Chong Wei has got to safeguard his reputation and no matter what condition he is in, he will be returning with the title. Illness has curtailed his preparation but there is no player who really has the calibre to stop him from winning in Sydney," said Rashid.

"His main focus is the Sudirman Cup (May 19-26) and he has sufficient time to prepare for the event and help Malaysia achieve the semi-final target.

"He is also down to play in the India Open (Apr 23-28) but may skip the Malaysia Open grand prix gold (Apr 30-May 5) to focus on the Sudirman Cup."

The fact that Chong Wei's wife Wong Mew Choo is due to give birth to their son on May 12 is the main reason Chong Wei will not compete in the Malaysia Open and he is also expected to take a lengthy break from tournaments after the Sudirman Cup.

The Indonesia Open on June 10-16 will be his only super series event before he competes in the World Championships in Guangzhou on Aug 5-11.

High possibilties to win the title..

it seems that rashid sidek's statement didn't come true after all and he was just smiles when the match ended with tian houwei